A Rider Like Me
by atrfla
Summary: Katrina and Roran's fifteen-year-old daughter discovers that she is going to be a Rider. Not just to any old dragon. To the beautiful snow-white daughter of Saphira and Firnen, Vervada. Not only does Vervada have a spirit that matches Ismira's, Vervada's mind is being invaded by Shruikan's Eldunari. Can Ismira save her headstrong dragon from a terrible fate? (rated T for violence)
1. Chapter 1

**Short and sweet! In case you're wondering: it's from the POV of Ismira, Katrina and Roran's daughter. Eragon is actually her first cousin once removed, but she calls him "uncle Eragon".**

"Mother, when will I be able to go visit Uncle Eragon?"

"Soon, sweetheart. Why don't you go hunting? You love hunting."

"Mother, I don't want to go hunting," I cried passionately. "I want to go visit Uncle Eragon."

"No one knows where he is, dear."

"Aunt Arya knows! She visits him all the time!"

"When she comes back, you may ask her, dear."

"YES! Thank you, Mother!"

"You're welcome, dear."

000

"Aunt Arya! Aunt Arya!" I yelled. It was two weeks later, but I still hadn't forgotten Mother's promise.

Aunt Arya stepped off of her glistening green dragon Fírnen, who was laden down with saddlebags and other carrying cases. I could see her elfish grin from fifty feet away. It practically lit up a room.

"Ismira!" she said. She came over and hugged me. "I missed you."

"You too," I smiled up at her.

"How is your father?" she asked, glancing over at where Mother stood with our three horses- my black one, Shadow; Mother's white one, Snowy, and our brown pack horse, Chestnut. "He hasn't come to welcome me?"

"No. He was busy. He has been farming the grain crop for a month," I explained.

"I see. It was nice of you to bring the pack horse for my bags. Say thank you, Fírnen." That last bit was to the green dragon that had lumbered over to join our conversation.

_Thank you, Ismira,_ Fírnen said.

"You're welcome, Fírnen," I replied kindly. "Mother and I guessed that you would need a break."

_They are not as heavy as Arya,_ joked Fírnen.

Arya scratched Fírnen's neck. "Okay, then you can carry the saddlebags and I'll ride home on the pack horse."

_No, thank you!_ said Fírnen hurriedly. _I will carry you!_

Arya laughed. "Okay. Ismira, would you mind carrying this?" She heaved a saddlebag full of clothing off of Fírnen.

I took it, surprised by its weight. "Wow! What's in here? A rock?"

"Close," she said. "A dragon's egg."

I nearly dropped it.

"Not just any dragon's egg," warned Arya. "Fírnen and Saphira's egg. Please be careful with it."

"I will," I promised. I held the bag carefully. "Is it supposed to be this warm?"

"It's warm?" Arya said in surprise, hurrying over to touch it. "It _is_ warm! Ismira, this dragon's Rider is near!"

"Really?" I asked, looking around. "Who? Mother, maybe?"

"No," Arya said. "Ismira, I believe that this dragon's Rider is _you_."


	2. Chapter 2

"Me? No way," I said.

"It has to be," Aunt Arya told me.

"No way!"

"Yes way. Now you have to go to your Uncle Eragon and learn to be a Rider."

I grinned wide. Then a new thought wiped the smile off my face. "I can't leave. Father needs my help with the harvest and Mother counts on my meat. There's half a year until winter and we need to prepare."

"Leave that to me. Where your uncle lives, there is no winter; the creatures abound plentifully. We can send Fírnen or Saphira back and forth with fresh meat for your mother and father and little Marian." By little Marian, she meant my seven-year-old younger sister. We were named after our deceased grandmothers; me after Mother's mother, and she after Father's mother.

I turned to Mother, who had crept up beside me some time earlier. "Mother, may I go? She says I am to be a Rider and-"

"I heard everything, daughter," she said. She held out three bags full of clothing, food, and other supplies. "I suspected that you would go to visit your uncle, one way or another. I packed these for you. You may go."

000

I held on to Fírnen's large, muscular neck as his wings pumped and we soared through the sky. One saddlebag held the dragon's egg. Another held the Eldunarí of Glaedr, as Aunt Arya had told me before Fírnen and I departed. Fírnen carried my bags in his claws.

_Are we there yet?_ I asked in my mind.

_A few minutes away._

_We're that close?_

_Of course. It is only just outside of Alagaësia._

"Great!" I said out loud.

We flew in silence for a few moments.

_We're here_, Fírnen said.

"Wow," I breathed as we landed. We were on a lush green field. In front of us was a village. There were huge houses- I guessed for where Saphira and Fírnen slept- and there were medium-sized ones emitting heat- I guessed they were the egg nurseries. There was a replica of the Vault of Souls, which Aunt Arya had taken me to when I was young- probably the holding of the Eldunarí. There were also small ones, probably store houses, and there was a small castle at the end of the street.

_That's where you will be staying,_ Fírnen said, gesturing with a claw at the castle. _This is my house._ He cocked his head towards one of the three huge houses. It was green, for good reason.

"This is amazing," I said. "What of Selena and Hope? Are they here?" Hope, who was Elain and Horst's daughter, was only a bit older than me, and Selena was my cousin, Uncle Eragon and Aunt Arya's daughter. She was Marian's age. Hope had been chosen as a Rider only a few months ago, for the offspring of Thorn and a beautiful dragon named Lenora. Hope named her male black dragon Iormúngr. Selena was not a Rider.

_They are both here, along with Fäolin and Weldon._

I groaned. Fäolin was an elf, the son of Blödhgarm, and Weldon, named after the second leader of the Varden, was the son of Murtagh and Queen Nasuada. Weldon, the prince, was a few months younger than me and Fäolin was literally a week younger than me. Weldon had a huge crush on me and both of them teased me to no end.

Being a Rider was not going to be fun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the short chapter, but the next one will be pretty long! Please review! Thanks! -atrfla**

I strode quickly and quietly into the castle. Lining the front hallway was paintings of Riders and their dragons- _good _Riders and their dragons. I saw Hope and Iormúngr, Aunt Arya and Fírnen, and Great-Uncle Brom and Saphira, among others.

Then I came to the end of the loooooong hallway and found a life-sized wax statue of Uncle Eragon and Saphira. Uncle Eragon was standing on top of Saphira, who had her wings raised to appear as if she was flying, and Uncle Eragon was raising up an Eldunarí.

The Eldunarí wasn't wax. It was real.

I recognized it as Umaroth's white one.

_Umaroth?_ I ventured.

_Hello, Ismira. So nice to see you again,_ Umaroth said. _It has been ten years since we last met, correct?_

_Yes._

_Well, you have grown into a beautiful young lady. Do you like the statue?_

_It's lovely,_ I answered.

"So you like it?" said a voice that wasn't mine.

I whipped around and flung myself at Uncle Eragon. "Hello, Uncle!"

"Hi, Ismira," he said, hugging me. "How are you? How are your parents and Marian? Why are you here? Where is Arya? How did you get here? Where is Fírnen? Is the egg safe?"

"Good. They're fine," I listed off. "When I was near the egg, it grew hot. Aunt Arya stayed back on Father and Mother's farm. I rode Fírnen. I don't know where he is now. The egg's in this saddlebag." I held it out to him. He took it and gasped.

"So you're a Rider now?"

"I... guess?" I guessed. "All I know is that Saphira and Fírnen's egg grew hot when I was near it."

"Let's get you a room, then," he said quickly. "The room next to Hope's is empty. Perhaps you would like that one?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed immediately.

We trekked up stairs, down corridors, and through rooms. Friendly faces and spirits greeted me from all sides. I saw Selena, Fäolin, a few Urgals, a couple other elves and humans, and felt the presence of at least a hundred Eldunarí. "There are a lot of people here."

"Yes, there are," Uncle Eragon said, opening a mahogany door in front of us. "This is your room. The white door leads to Hope's room. I knew you would become a Rider someday, so I kept this room especially for you. Right now, Hope is outside training with Iormúngr, and I believe she will be back within the next few hours. Make yourself at home."

I stepped through the door, which closed behind me. I was alone in a room. I would have this room all to myself. Back at the farm, I had to share a room with Marian. Not here. Now Marian and I would each have separate rooms.

I unpacked my bags, put the clothes in the dresser, hung up a painting of my family and I, stocked the bookshelf with my raggedy books, etc. When I was done, it almost looked like home again.

Almost.

Finally, I took out the egg and caressed it. It was white, covered in silver-and-gold swirling patterns. I felt the smooth edges and laid it on my bed.

_Squeak!_

I whirled around and stared at the door.

_Squeak!_

No, it wasn't coming from the door.

_Squeak!_

It was coming from my bed.

_Squeak!_

The egg couldn't be so heavy it was making the hinges break... could it?

_Squeak!_

No, it sounded like it was coming... from the egg.

_Squeee-eeee-eeeeak!_

I watched the egg carefully as a crack appeared on it. Then another, and another and another! All on the swirls, it cracked and cracked until-

_Squeeeak!_ A piece popped off and a tiny, glistening, white head poked through the hole in the egg.

My egg had hatched.


End file.
